It’s November — It’s Almost Ho-Ho-Holiday Season!

As I write this, we’re still in the throes of summer-like daytime temperatures, but the evenings and mornings promise cooler (read: colder!) temps to come. We’ve been watching Mizzou football, and I’ve attended some Marquette football games. At one of my favorites, Marquette faced Lafayette in the annual Mayor’s Bowl, and the ‘Stangs did us proud! We won the Bowl back in a great game, with Marquette taking the victory, 27-21.

The mayors of Chesterfield, Ballwin, Ellisville and I were also invited to judge the group tent displays before Marquette’s Homecoming football game (Marquette won 58-0!). Three groups took top honors in three different categories: Girls Cheerleading for “School Spirit & Pride,” Girls Basketball for ” Creativity,” and HOSA (Future Health Professionals) for “Overall Engagement.” Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks from the mayors. 

The Council has been busy since the last Stroll issue. We’ve established a formal Finance Committee and adopted a finance policy, and we’re reviewing RFPs for our investment arrangements. We’re tightening up loopholes we’ve identified in our ordinances and considering regulations for e-bikes and solar installations. 

We’re following Ellisville’s progress as it works with Wildwood to develop an e-bike ordinance. Ballwin has adopted it’s own, and Chesterfield is getting close to doing the same. We want our regulations to be consistent with those adopted by our neighboring municipalities to promote uniform law enforcement and minimize confusion for residents and riders. 

We’re also consulting with another municipal attorney to obtain a confirming second opinion as we develop an ordinance governing solar installations. Solar is an important alternative energy source, and we want to encourage its use in a manner that harmonizes with the character of Clarkson Valley.

In early October, we held our first Recycling Event and were delighted with the results. We had nearly 30 Marquette student volunteers, and 138 St. Louis County residents participated. We shredded 5,000 pounds of paper, collected nearly 6,000 pounds of electronics, and received 143 pairs of “gently used” shoes for donation to Soles4Souls. Our parking lot provided an excellent site for traffic flow, we were blessed with beautiful weather, and we learned a lot that we plan to put to good use next year.

In September, I attended the annual Missouri Municipal League conference, and it was great. The conference provides a rewarding opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from municipal officials and staff from across the state. I also received my Certified Municipal Official award, earned through hours of coursework covering municipal topics such as parliamentary procedure, ethics, emergency management, and more. 

The conference closed with one of the most inspirational speakers I’ve ever had the opportunity to hear: John O’Leary, known for the movie Soul on Fire. He was outstanding.

We held a “Coffee with the Cop and Mayor” event in early October. Our next gathering will likely be in January, so stay tuned for more information. 

Thankfully, since it’s November, all the “Don’t Vote for (Who-Whatever)” ads are behind us. Regardless of your political opinions, I hope you voted. As always, voting is a privilege that many people around the world do not have. 

To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Democracy is the worst form of Government – except for all the others.” The current political climate can be exhausting, but it’s ours to shape. You can make a difference when you participate; apathy is not a solution.

What are your plans for Turkey Day? Are you going somewhere or staying in? Will you have a houseful of family and friends, with leftovers galore, or will you head out and let someone else handle the cooking and cleanup? And when will you be getting out those Christmas decorations?!?

Whatever your plans and traditions, I pray you’re blessed with a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sue McNamara
Mayor, Clarkson Valley